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Monday, August 2, 2010

Review: Oil, Money, Politics, and power in the 21st century by Tom Bower

Twenty years ago oil cost about $7 a barrel. In 2008 the price soared to $148 and then fell to below $40. In the midst of this extraordinary volatility, the major oil conglomerates still spent over a trillion dollars in an increasingly frantic search for more.

The story of oil is a story of high stakes and extreme risk. It is the story of the crushing rivalries between men and women exploring for oil five miles beneath the sea, battling for control of the world's biggest corporations, and gambling billions of dollars twenty-four hours every day on oil's prices. It is the story of corporate chieftains in Dallas and London, traders in New York, oil-oligarchs in Moscow, and globe-trotting politicians-all maneuvering for power.

With the world as his canvas, acclaimed investigative reporter Tom Bower gathers unprecedented firsthand information from hundreds of sources to give readers the definitive, untold modern history of oil . . . the ultimate story of arrogance, intrigue, and greed. description taken from here.

Bower gets straight to the point with this book. That said, about half of Oil is very interesting and the other half is just boring with how much elaboration is added. However, that "boring" half is very informing! Everyone uses oil and it really does effect all of our lives. How does it effect us? For starters, oil is used to make gasoiline, which I'm sure all of you know. When the price of gas goes up, that effects us; how much we can buy, where we can go, maybe we can afford to go here or there, etc. And, that is just one example, we use oil for a lot of things, and some people might not realize it. This was very informative and (mostly) interesting.

**I did not get paid for this post. All opinions are 100% mine unless otherwise stated. I recieved a free copy of the book from Hachette in order to write a real and honets review.**